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Luminous balls reveal the real Ginola

IN PURSUIT of the worthy goal of adding realism to computerised football
games, David Ginola of Newcastle United has been demonstrating his skills while
covered with luminous balls. By recording reflections of infrared light from the
balls, engineers at Electronic Arts, a software company in Berkshire, are
building a computer replica of Ginola that runs, kicks and dribbles just like
the star himself. “If Ginola kicks the ball, we capture it with cameras from
eight different angles,” explains Nick Malaperiman of Electronic Arts.

The eight images can be combined to form moving “stick man” versions of
Ginola that are fleshed out with the help of computer software. The Ginola
lookalike will make its debut in November at the launch of the computer game
FIFA 97. Game buffs will be able to control individual players’
movements on their screens, but will not see Ginola’s grimace after a nasty
tackle. “It would take up too much computer memory,” says Malaperiman.